BBC’s The Apprentice business mogul Tim Campbell MBE and Baroness Karren Brady CBE are urging Manchester business leaders and their teams to swap their boardrooms for sleeping bags on Friday 3 October. They will brave the elements for a national sleepout to raise vital funds for one of the UK’s leading children’s charities, Action for Children.

This year, Manchester’s Boycott Your Bed event will take place at Siemens, Sir William Siemens House on Princess Road.

Confirmed Manchester businesses generously supporting the event include Irwin Mitchell, Brambles, Capgemini, UA92, Lyco Group, Arup, Siemens, Kier & HPE, among others.

Now in its 28th year, Boycott your Bed unites corporate teams from across the UK to raise vital funds for vulnerable children, young people and families. Since it started, the event has raised an incredible £14.3 million, helping to ensure children across the UK have the essentials they need for a safe and happy childhood – from warm clothes, hot meals and a proper bed, as well as mental health support and protection from neglect and abuse.

Sleepouts are taking place in London, Leeds, Manchester and Glasgow, with global technology powerhouse, Lenovo, returns as headline sponsor.

Tim Campbell MBE, entrepreneur and the first-ever winner of The Apprentice:
“As a dad of two, I can’t stomach the idea of any child in the UK going to bed cold, hungry or scared. That’s why I’m taking part in this year’s Boycott Your Bed. One uncomfortable night for me could mean warm meals, safe beds and a lifeline for children who’ve been failed by the system. It’s not charity – it’s justice. I’m asking business leaders across the country to stand up by lying down. Let’s prove that in the UK, no child goes unseen. Join me.”

Supporting her fellow Apprentice star, Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge CBE said: “This October, Action for Children is hosting Boycott Your Bed, a powerful fundraising event where participants sleep out for one night to raise essential funds. These funds will help provide children with warm clothes, hot meals, and a bed of their own. With 4.5 million children currently living in poverty, this crisis is too urgent to ignore. Let’s come together to give children the safe and happy childhood they deserve”.

Katherine Woods, Director of Income at Action for Children said: With every minute spent braving the elements, we’re taking action to help give children and young people the protection and practical help they urgently need.

“We’re proud to be standing alongside fantastic supporters like Tim Campbell who help to shine a light on this vital cause.

“Together, we can be there, with love and without judgement, in moments of crisis when children are living without even the essentials or a safe place to sleep.”